Community Sentiment
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Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Home Appliance Repairers?
Task-level automation exposure for Home Appliance Repairers: 29 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
29%
weighted task index
29 of 29 tasks scored
Median Salary
$50,990 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
32,150 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+1.9%
employment change
2,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 51 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$29,840 – $70,750
Highest medians
Massachusetts $70,750
New York $65,190
Alaska $63,950
Connecticut $62,380
Minnesota $61,360
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $29,840
West Virginia $35,720
Mississippi $35,890
New Mexico $37,440
Arkansas $38,680
State figures come from the 49-9031 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 29%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 47%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 8%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 4%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 10/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
29 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 16%
4 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 20%
5 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 64%
20 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#13789 · Core · 35% automatable
Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
physical manipulation — In-person payment handling; some digital automation
Collect payments for goods or services.
#13799 · Core · 40% automatable
Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
visual inspection — Detecting subtle equipment problems needs on-site sensory judgment
Observe equipment in operation to detect potential problems.
#13793 · Core · 53% automatable
Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
decision support — Diagnosis from description aided, repair judgment human
Read work orders or descriptions of problems to determine repairs or modifications needed. Confer with customers or users to assess problems.
#13801 · Core · 78% automatable
Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
information retrieval — Technical reading for maintenance well handled
Read technical information needed to perform maintenance or repairs.
#13790 · Core · 25% automatable
Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
physical manipulation — Electrical probing and meter work by hand
Test electrical circuits or components for proper functioning.
#13792 · Core · 10% automatable
Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.
physical manipulation — Manual replacement of mechanical parts
Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
#13796 · Core · 63% automatable
Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.
data analysis — Labor/material cost estimation from rates
Estimate costs for labor or materials. Advise others on issues related to repairs, installation, or equipment design.
#13788 · Core · 8% automatable
Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.
physical manipulation — Disassembly requires hands-on tool use
Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
#13810 · Core · 5% automatable
Respond to emergency calls for problems such as gas leaks.
situated mobility — Physical travel to sites requires human mobility
Travel to work sites to perform installation, repair or maintenance work.
#13791 · Core · 10% automatable
Service and repair domestic electrical or gas appliances, such as clothes washers, refrigerators, stoves, and dryers.
physical manipulation — Manual repair of worn mechanical parts
Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
#13794 · Core · 10% automatable
Reassemble units after repairs are made, making adjustments and cleaning and lubricating parts as needed.
physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. Reassemble equipment after repair. Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.
#13795 · Core · 80% automatable
Record maintenance and repair work performed on appliances.
text generation — Log maintenance and repair records from data
Maintain repair or maintenance records.
#13814 · Core · 15% automatable
Test and examine gas pipelines and equipment to locate leaks and faulty connections, and to determine the pressure and flow of gas.
physical manipulation — Gas leak detection needs physical sensors and access
Inspect gas systems or components to identify leaks or other potential hazards.
#13813 · Core · 15% automatable
Light and adjust pilot lights on gas stoves, and examine valves and burners for gas leakage and specified flame.
physical manipulation — Gas leak detection needs physical sensors and access
Inspect gas systems or components to identify leaks or other potential hazards.
#13802 · Core · 42% automatable
Instruct customers regarding operation and care of appliances, and provide information such as emergency service numbers.
interpersonal — Customer product training is relational and situational
Train customers in the use of products.
#13812 · Core · 50% automatable
Contact supervisors or offices to receive repair assignments.
decision support — Equipment diagnosis aided; hands-on fix is human
Confer with coworkers to resolve equipment problems.
#13797 · Core · 70% automatable
Maintain stocks of parts used in on-site installation, maintenance, and repair of appliances.
data analysis — Materials inventory records and forecasting automatable
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
#13806 · Core · 10% automatable
Level refrigerators, adjust doors, and connect water lines to water pipes for ice makers and water dispensers, using hand tools.
physical manipulation — Hands-on leveling of machines with tools
Level machines or equipment. Connect hoses to equipment or piping.
#13800 · Core · 34% automatable
Observe and test operation of appliances following installation, and make any initial installation adjustments that are necessary.
visual inspection — Detecting subtle equipment problems needs on-site sensory judgment
Observe equipment in operation to detect potential problems. Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
#13807 · Core · 23% automatable
Set appliance thermostats, and check to ensure that they are functioning properly.
visual inspection — System checks partly aided by telemetry, still human-verified
Inspect systems to determine if they are operating properly. Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.
#13811 · Core · 8% automatable
Install appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and stoves.
physical manipulation — Appliance installation requires physical labor
Install home appliances.
#13808 · Core · 10% automatable
Level washing machines and connect hoses to water pipes, using hand tools.
physical manipulation — Hands-on leveling of machines with tools
Level machines or equipment. Connect hoses to equipment or piping.
#13798 · Core · 10% automatable
Clean and reinstall parts.
physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.
#13804 · Core · 11% automatable
Clean, lubricate, and touch up minor defects on newly installed or repaired appliances.
physical manipulation — Physical lubrication task requiring hands and access
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. Lubricate equipment to allow proper functioning.
#13805 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Conserve, recover, and recycle refrigerants used in cooling systems.
physical manipulation — Physical handling of hazardous materials
Dispose of hazardous materials.
#13809 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Install gas pipes and water lines to connect appliances to existing gas lines or plumbing.
physical manipulation — Physical pipe installation work
Install piping for installation or maintenance activities.
#13816 · Supplemental · 25% automatable
Take measurements to determine if appliances will fit in installation locations, performing minor carpentry work when necessary to ensure proper installation.
physical manipulation — Physical distance measurement in field
Measure distances or dimensions.
#13815 · Supplemental · 6% automatable
Measure, cut, and thread pipe, and connect it to feeder lines and equipment or appliances, using rules and hand tools.
physical manipulation — Physical cutting to specifications
Cut materials according to specifications or needs. Install piping for installation or maintenance activities.
#13803 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Assemble new or reconditioned appliances.
physical manipulation — Mechanical assembly needs hands and tools
Assemble mechanical components or machine parts.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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